March 13, 2006
Madame Bovary: A Tragic Hero
Every tragedy falls into two partsComplication and Unraveling or Denouement
By Complication I mean all that extends from the beginning of the action to the part which marks the turning point to good or bad fortune. The Unraveling is that which extends from the beginning of the change to the end
There are four kinds of tragedy
[One being] the Pathetic (where the motive is passion). (p. 90)
In Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, the protagonist is, by definition, a tragic hero. Emma Bovary has certain character flaws that are driven by passion and she has urges to climb the social ladder. Her desires and so called "needs" consume her youth and, eventually, her life. Flaubert composes the book in a crafty way, meaning that the novel's moral structure requires Emma to assume responsibility for her own actions. Her affairs are brought on at her own will and their failures leave her hopeless. She not only is a slave for......
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Approximate Word Count: 1055
Approximate Pages: 5 (260 words per double-spaced page) |